Open AccessThe Impact of COVID‐19 on Organ Donation, Procurement, and Liver Transplantation in the United States
Author(s) -
Merola Jonathan,
Schilsky Michael L.,
Mulligan David C.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
hepatology communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2471-254X
DOI - 10.1002/hep4.1620
Subject(s) - covid-19 , organ procurement , organ donation , liver transplantation , donation , medicine , transplantation , procurement , intensive care medicine , business , political science , virology , surgery , law , infectious disease (medical specialty) , outbreak , marketing , disease
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had an impact on all facets of our health care system, including life‐saving procedures like organ transplantation. Concerns for potential exposure to the causative severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 have profoundly altered the process of organ donation and recovery that is vital to the execution of organ transplantation. Issues regarding adequate donor evaluation and consent, organ recovery, organ procurement organization, and donor hospital resources as well as the transplant center’s acceptance of organ offers for their candidates have all required new practice paradigms. Consequently, the ability to treat patients with organ failure, in particular patients with end‐stage liver disease in whom no temporizing treatments exist, and to obtain expected excellent outcomes for new liver transplant recipients has been challenged during this time. Conclusion: We summarize some of the negative effects of the current pandemic on organ recovery and liver transplantation as well as offer considerations and strategies for their mitigation that could have a lasting impact on the field even after the coronavirus disease 2019 has waned.